Elijah Dukes' troubled past

By Times Staff
Published May 24, 2007

According to court and law enforcement documents, Dukes has several arrests.

Hillsborough deputies were called to break up a fight between Dukes and NiShea Gilbert on Dec. 8, 2003, shortly after the birth of their child. According to an arrest report, Dukes threw a remote control at Gilbert and was arrested on an assault charge. Formal charges were never filed.

He was arrested again on Dec. 25, 2003, and accused of obstructing an officer without violence. Prosecutors allowed him to enter an intervention program.

On Oct. 12, 2004, Dukes was charged with misdemeanor battery. The case was never prosecuted.

He was arrested again on a charge of battery on Jan. 18, 2005. He did not contest the charge and the judge withheld adjudication, sentencing Dukes to one year probation and $549 fine.

According to the Tampa Police Department, one of Dukes' ex-girlfriends filed a sworn request for prosecution against him on Jan. 24, 2005. The ex-girlfriend, Zanquesha L. Jefferson, told police that Dukes choked her with his right hand and forced her into a chair. He squeezed her cheeks while demanding a kiss, the records show. The outcome of the complaint could not be determined Wednesday.

Dukes' most recent arrest was in January, when he was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession. He pleaded not guilty.